2600 Campus Road,
Room 001, Honolulu, HI, 96822
www.hawaii.edu

History:
The University of Hawai'i at Manoa was founded in 1907 as the College of Agriculture and Mechanical Arts. Regular classes began in 1908 with 13 faculty members, five freshmen and five preparatory students in temporary quarters near Thomas Square. Renamed the College of Hawai'i, the institution moved to its present Manoa location in 1912, during which the first graduation conferred four degrees. In 1920, the institution became the University of Hawai'i. The University has been growing ever since.

Below is a summary of key developments through the decades:

• 1920s — The UHM student newspaper Ka Leo O Hawai'i was founded.
• 1930s — The university conferred its first PhD in 1933. Prof. Gregg Sinclair founded in 1935 the Oriental Institute, dedicated to promoting amicable relations between the East and the West.
• 1940s — The 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor resulted in suspension of classes for two months. UH Press, currently the nation's 12th largest university press, began its operations in 1947 with one part-time employee.
• 1950s — Dr. Earle Ernst founded in 1951 the first academic program in Asian theatre in the Western world. The program continues to be one of the best worldwide. In 1953, the university acquired the 124-acre Manoa Arboretum. Later renamed the Lyon Arboretum, the arboretum is the only tropical rainforest associated with a U.S. university.
• 1960s — The turbulent 60s witnessed the university's most rapid expansion ever. The student population increased from 10,800 to 20,800. The establishment of the Community Colleges system in 1964 has evolved into the present seven campuses on four islands. In addition, the John A. Burns School of Medicine opened in 1967 and the first telescope atop Mauna Kea was erected the following year.
• 1970s and 1980s — Key events during this period include the opening of the William S. Richardson School of Law in 1973, the founding of UH West O'ahu in 1976, and the appointment of the university's first full-time director for women's athletics in 1977. In 1986, the university's library collection topped two million volumes.
• 1990s — Major facilities including the 10,000 seat Special Events Arena and the world-class marine laboratory on the Coconut Island came into existence in the mid-1990s. As the university celebrated its 90th commemoration in 1997, UH Hilo established its master's program in Hawaiian, the nation's first master's program in an indigenous language.